Message from the WSIS Team

Dear WSIS Stakeholders,

Continuing our online and offline dialogues,
since the WSIS Forum 2013, on the WSIS
Review Process and the future of the WSIS
Process beyond 2015 several crucial
questions arise. In building the vision of
the WSIS Process beyond 2015: in the past
ten years, what are the
main achievements in the area of the
information society, in particular in the
implementation of the WSIS Action Lines; what are the key
challenges that need to be addressed in the
next 10 years; and what is the key role that
ICTs can play in the post 2015 Development
Agenda?

The
WSIS+10 High-Level Event,
an extended version of the WSIS Forum (13-17
April 2014, Sharm el-Sheikh), will address
these questions and also assess progress
made in the implementation of the WSIS
outcomes related to the WSIS Action Lines
under mandates of the participating
agencies, while providing a platform for
multistakeholder coordination of the
implementation of the WSIS outcomes, with
involvement and participation of all WSIS
action line facilitators, other UN agencies
and all WSIS stakeholders.

The WSIS+10 High-Level Event will review the
WSIS Outcomes (2003 and 2005) related to the
Action Lines with a view to developing
proposals on a new vision beyond 2015,
potentially also exploring new targets. The
meeting will be organized taking into
account decisions of the 68th Session of the
UN General Assembly.

The
preparatory process will comprise of an
Open Consultation Process consisting of six
phases, including three physical meetings
and online consultations. This open and
inclusive open consultation process will
result in:

Draft outcome documents for consideration by the WSIS+10 High-Level Event, by 1st March 2014

Draft WSIS+10 Statement on Implementation of WSIS Outcomes

Draft WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015 under mandates of the participating agencies

WSIS+10 High-Level Event

The WSIS+10 High-Level Event will be held
from 13 to 17 April 2014 in Sharm el-Sheikh.
This event will be an extended version of
the WSIS Forum. It is designed to review the
progress made in the implementation of the
WSIS outcomes under the mandates of
participating agencies, and to take stock of
achievements in the last 10 years based on
reports of WSIS Stakeholders, including
those submitted by countries, Action Line
Facilitators and other stakeholders.

The WSIS+10 High-Level Event will review the
WSIS Outcomes (2003 and 2005) related to the
WSIS Action Lines with the view of
developing proposals on a new vision beyond
2015, potentially including new targets.
This process will take into account the
decisions of the 68th Session of the UN
General Assembly.

The preparatory process is an open and
inclusive consultation among WSIS
Stakeholders (governments, private sector,
civil society, international organizations
and relevant regional organizations) focused
on: developing multistakeholder consensus on
two draft Outcome Documents, to be developed
during the open consultation process by 1
March 2014 and submitted for consideration
by the WSIS+10 High-Level Event; the
thematic aspects and innovations on the
format of the Event. The
Open Consultation
Process for the WSIS+10 High-Level Event is
structured in six phases as follows:

Phase One: July 2013 -
Initiation of the Open Consultation Process: Official
SubmissionsSubmission Forms:

Phase Five: 1 March 2014 -
Outcomes of the open consultation published.

Phase Six: 12 March 2014 -
Final Brief on the WSIS+10 High-Level Event (Remote Participation will be available)

WSIS Stocktaking

New call for update and new entries.
Contribute to the WSIS Stocktaking Report
2014.

During the WSIS process in 2004,
stakeholders expressed their view that the
public stocktaking database of WSIS-related
implementation activities (www.wsis.org/stocktaking),
structured according to the 11 WSIS Action
Lines (Geneva Plan of Action), should be
further maintained under the stewardship of
ITU (see Tunis Agenda, § 120).

The principal role of the WSIS Stocktaking
exercise is to leverage the activities of
stakeholders working on the implementation
of WSIS outcomes and share knowledge and
experience of projects by replicating
successful models. In this context, WSIS
Stocktaking process provides a portal of
best practices for stakeholders seeking
updated information on the progress of
implementation of WSIS outcomes (see Geneva
Plan of Action, §28.e)

ECOSOC Resolution 2012 on “Assessment of the
progress made in the implementation of and
follow-up to the outcomes of the World
Summit on the Information Society”
encourages all WSIS stakeholders to continue
to contribute information to the WSIS
Stocktaking database. The results of the
previous call for update and new entries
were presented in the fifth edition of the
Report on WSIS Stocktaking reflecting more
than 700 WSIS-related activities for the
period May 2012-May 2013.

The sixth edition of the WSIS Stocktaking
Report is the continuation of the WSIS
Stocktaking Report series and will be
prepared for WSIS+10 High-Level Event and
Forum 2014 as the background document.

The WSIS Stocktaking Report 2014 will also
be shared with ITU-D study Groups in the
elaboration of Output Reports and will be
submitted as the contribution to the 17th
session of the Commission on Science and
Technology for Development (CSTD).

In 2013, the new application for the
database was introduced with additional
features that allow stakeholders to use the
database in a more efficient way. The users
are able to access their account of
projects/activities where they could track
all recorded data and update/edit their
existing WSIS related activities at any
time.

We look forward to receiving your responses
and any other associated documentation by
1st December 2013. Don’t miss the
opportunity to provide your input to the 6th
edition of the WSIS Stocktaking report

WSIS Forum 2013

WSIS Forum 2013 was held from the 13-17 May
2013 at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva. This
year the Forum attracted more than 1800 WSIS
Stakeholders from more than 140 countries.
Several high-level representatives of the
wider WSIS Stakeholder community graced the
Forum with more than 60 ministers and
deputies, several ambassadors, CEOs and
Civil Society leaders contributing
passionately towards the programme of the
Forum. On–site participation increased
tremendously during the WSIS Forum 2013.
Several remote participants joined the forum
through remote participation facilities.

WSIS Forum 2013
Outcome Document

More than 150 sessions were held during the
WSIS Forum 2013 in the form of high level
dialogues, thematic and country workshops,
showcasing theatres, ministerial round
table, WSIS+10 Visioning Track, World Café
style workshops, interactive sessions and
action line facilitating sessions. This
provided a vibrant atmosphere for
facilitation and exchange on a
multistakeholder vision of the WSIS Process.
An exhibition space provided the perfect
atmosphere to network, learn and share.

The commitment and dedication of the WSIS
Stakeholders was evident from the outcomes
submitted by the session organizers. The
outcomes of the WSIS Forum 2013 will be
submitted to the Commission on Science and
Technology (CSTD), the UN General Assembly
and ITU Council.

Since 2009, the WSIS forum has proven to be
a unique platform for multistakeholder
brainstorming and consensus on emerging
trends in the area of Information Society.
This
booklet captures emerging trends in the
11 WSIS Action lines, both in terms of
policy and technology, discussed by
stakeholders during WSIS Forum 2013. The
trends identified during the Forum, provide
the WSIS Community with guidance and a
vision for the way beyond 2015, WSIS+10,
related activities.

Statement on the WSIS+10 Visioning and WSIS+10 Visioning Challenge document

The annual gathering of WSIS Stakeholders at
the WSIS Forum, co-organised by ITU, UNESCO,
UNCTAD and UNDP, provided the perfect
opportunity for multistakeholder visioning
and discussion on the WSIS process including
the Overall Review of the Implementation of
the WSIS Outcomes (WSIS+10). The presence of
so many leaders here in Geneva, including
over 50 ministers, was a sign, both of
stakeholders’ commitment to the WSIS Process
and of the important role ICTs will continue
to play in tomorrow’s development agenda.
During the Forum a
Statement on WSIS+10 Visioning was
released

WSIS+10 related sessions formed the WSIS+10
Visioning Track that was organized in
accordance to the Plan of Action developed
within the framework of the United Nations
on the Information Society (UNGIS) Open
Consultation Process on WSIS+10 (2011-2012,
http://www.ungis.org).

Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development

The Partnership on Measuring ICT for
Development is actively involved in the
WSIS+10 review process and has taken the
lead role in monitoring progress towards the
achievements of the WSIS Targets. The
Partnership is preparing a final
quantitative assessment report, which will
analyze and discuss the achievements made on
each one of the ten WSIS targets. The report
will be based on available data for the 49
indicators identified in the Partnership’s
2011 Measuring the WSIS Targets: a
statistical framework document. The report
will be launched at the WSIS+10 high-level
meeting on the overall review of the WSIS,
to take place in April 2014. In July 2013,
the Partnership, through the UN Regional
Commissions, the OECD and UNCTAD, will send
out the WSIS Targets questionnaire to WSIS
focal points in all countries to collect
data for the indicators identified to track
the WSIS Targets. The results of this
questionnaire will be used as an input to
the final 2014 WSIS assessment report and
all countries are encouraged to respond to
this questionnaire. This survey will be the
last opportunity to contribute data to the
final assessment report.

United Nations Group on the Information Society

UNGIS Joint Statement: A collective
contribution by 30 UN Agencies (UNGIS
Members) to the dialogue on the Post-2015
Development Agenda.

In keeping with its mandate to promote
policy coherence and programme coordination
in the UN system, as well as provide
guidance on issues related to information
and communications technologies (ICTs) in
support of internationally agreed
development goals, the 30 members of the UN
Group on the Information Society (UNGIS)
will respectfully submit a
joint statement
to the UN Secretary General and the UN Task
Team. The statement is a collective
contribution to the dialogue on the
Post-2015 Development Agenda, a unified
effort to harness inter-agency expertise and
experience to support deliberations on
Post-2015 priorities, and a united
commitment to a UN community poised to
address development challenges in the 21st
century.

ITU Telecom World 2013, Bangkok 19-22 November

Join the conversation in 2013

A revolution is underway in the ICT sector.
The shift to IP-based services is shaking
the foundations of communication systems as
we know them. We need to understand this
change, work out how to grow with it and
benefit from it.

ITU Telecom World 2013 will explore the
theme of Embracing change in a digital
world. We invite you to be part of this
conversation. Through interactive panel
debates, workshops and showfloor sessions we
will focus on five major areas of change:
changing user behaviour;
shifting industry dynamics;
Internet of Things and M2M;
new technologies;
new standardization and regulatory
approaches.

#BYND2015 Global Youth Summit

Inspiring young people to ensure a better
future for everyone

#BYND2015 Global Youth Summit intends to
address the concerns of young people and
provide creative solutions through the use
of ICTs. The
ITU, who are committed to
connecting the world, are doing just that by
using an innovative crowd-sourcing
platform
that will enable all young people from
across the world to
share their views and
actively participate in shaping the policies
that will affect their futures. The key
crowd-sourced findings will culminate in an
unprecedented statement that will be handed
to World Leaders at the United Nations
General Assembly in New York by Laura
Chinchilla, the President of Costa Rica.

The Child Online Protection Initiative
at ITU is organizing a session on child
online safety at the Global Youth Summit in
partnership with
UNICEF and
The Walt Disney Company. The
Be Smart, Be Safe session will
help young people become informed users of
the Internet and encourage them to share
with their peers best practices and
recommendations for staying smart and safe
online. Young participants will have an
opportunity to design their own global
awareness campaign on online safety and
compete in a video competition to be
launched at the Summit.

Broadband Commission

Planning for progress: Why national
broadband plans matter - a contribution to
the work of the Broadband Commission for
Digital Development

This new ITU and Cisco report finds that
there has been strong recent growth in
broadband plans, with some 134 policies in
force by mid - 2013. Plans may take
different forms and vary in targets, however
share a common emphasis on the vital role of
broadband in underpinning national
competitiveness, and extending national
footprint of broadband networks and usage of
broadband-enabled services and applications.
Research conducted for this report suggests
that the introduction or adoption of a
broadband plan is associated with 2.5%
higher fixed broadband penetration, and 7.4%
higher mobile broadband penetration on
average. This result is consistent with a
National Broadband Plan focusing efforts
across industry in coordination with
policy-makers, emphasizing the role of
broadband as a national priority, and
signaling national commitment to the
roll-out of broadband.

Child Online Protection (COP)

On Monday 22 July 2013, ITU will host an
inauguration ceremony of H.E. Dr. Dame
Patience Goodluck Jonathan, First Lady of
Nigeria, as its
Child Online Protection
(COP) Champion. A progressive leader and
renowned humanitarian, the First Lady of
Nigeria has worked extensively to empower
children and women in Nigeria. With the
support of the First Lady as ITU’s COP
Champion, the Federal Republic of Nigeria
will be taking more extensive steps to build
a safer online environment for children and
young people. ITU is looking forward to
collaborating closely with the First Lady
and her country to promote child online
safety.

In addition, ITU and the Federal Republic of
Nigeria have just signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on the establishment of a
Regional Cybersecurity Centre for Africa in
Nigeria. This Regional Centre will
facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration
on combatting cyber threats at the regional
and national levels—with an emphasis on
activities related to child online
protection.

ITU and UNICEF Engage Industry Partners to Protect Children Online

ITU’s
Child Online Protection (COP) initiative
is working closely with
UNICEF and industry partners to
strengthen industry participation in
advancing children’s rights online. Together
with UNICEF and partners, ITU is currently
updating its Guidelines for Industry on
Child Online Protection, whose aim is to
provide a common framework for all sectors
of the industry in working towards a safer
cyber world for children. Also, new industry
partners have joined the COP initiative
recently:
The Walt Disney Company, for example, is
one of the partners taking the lead on
designing and delivering training for young
people on online safety at the
Global Youth
Summit: BYND2015. Read our
article on the
ITU blog to learn more about
ITU’s work with
UNICEF and industry partners.

WSIS Fund in Trust

Global Events Calendar

From February 5th to February 7th 2014,
the
Child Online Protection initiative
at
ITU, in partnership with
African
Child Online Protection (ACOP), will
organize the African Child Online
Protection Summit in Uganda. In response
to increasing access to information and
communication technologies in Africa,
the Summit will bring together key
stakeholders and experts—both local,
regional, and international—to discuss
policies, strategies, and practices for
ensuring child online safety in Africa.
For more information, please visit the
event page for the Summit.